WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.560 Welcome back to The Deep Dive, where we give 00:00:01.560 --> 00:00:03.879 you the context to instantly get up to speed 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:05.960 on fascinating topics. Always good to be diving 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:10.519 in. Today, we are looking at someone truly unique, 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.099 a real force, Juliette Lewis. Absolutely. And 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:17.519 it's more than just profiling an actress, isn't 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:20.980 it? It's really about understanding this trajectory. 00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:24.879 Yeah, trajectory defined by, I guess, volatility, 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:29.379 fierce authenticity, and just... Wow. Incredible 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:32.000 versatility. Across three distinct careers, which 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.280 is pretty remarkable. Yeah. You've got the Oscar 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:36.500 -nominated film star in the 90s. Right. Then 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:39.219 the full -on rock star phase in the 2000s. And 00:00:39.219 --> 00:00:41.880 now this really acclaimed resurgence in prestige 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:43.780 television. Exactly. So that's our deep dive 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:46.079 mission today. We want to trace that whole arc 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.359 from her very unconventional start, that early 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:51.539 emancipation. Which is a story in itself. Right 00:00:51.539 --> 00:00:53.500 through to where she is now with shows like Yellowjacks. 00:00:53.539 --> 00:00:55.539 We need to understand how she created that niche 00:00:55.539 --> 00:01:00.060 for herself, playing those offbeat characters, 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:02.880 often in films with dark plots. And how her own 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:05.540 story, her personal life, informed all of that. 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:07.760 It's definitely not your standard Hollywood narrative. 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:10.799 Not even close. It's a study and reinvention, 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:13.319 maybe. Yeah. And just sheer creative will. I 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:15.620 think so. And to really get it, you have to see 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:18.319 how incredibly fast and intense her initial rise 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:21.159 was. It started way earlier than most people 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:23.159 probably realize. Okay, so let's get into that. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.269 Section one, the dramatic rise. People think 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:28.689 90s cinema, but she was already working professionally 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:32.689 on TV at, what, 14? That's right. Her first significant 00:01:32.689 --> 00:01:35.650 screen appearance was actually in a TV film back 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:39.349 in 1987 called Home Fires. Okay. And even then, 00:01:39.370 --> 00:01:41.670 as a total newcomer, she caught the eye of critics. 00:01:41.909 --> 00:01:44.349 The Los Angeles Times Review said she lights 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.609 up the screen high praise right out of the gate. 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:48.890 Wow. And then she immediately landed a main role 00:01:48.890 --> 00:01:52.409 on an ABC sitcom, Bob Married Dora, playing Kate 00:01:52.409 --> 00:01:55.620 Farrell. That ran for a season 87 to 88. So she 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:57.640 was building serious TV credits really young. 00:01:57.799 --> 00:01:59.180 But the thing that always stands out from that 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:02.680 early period is the emancipation. At 14, that 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:05.439 sounds intense. It does. And it's a really key 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.139 piece of understanding her drive, I think. So, 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:11.120 yeah, age 14, legally emancipated from her parents. 00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:13.180 Now, usually you hear that and think, oh, troubled 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:15.099 family situation, right? Exactly. But in her 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:17.879 case, she's always been clear. It was done with 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:20.099 her parents' full support. It was a purely practical, 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:24.610 professional decision. Practical? How so? What 00:02:24.610 --> 00:02:28.419 does being an emancipated minor... actually let 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:30.580 you do as a young actor? Well, it basically boils 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:33.639 down to work hours and regulations. She explained 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.379 that producers just preferred seeing emancipated 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:39.199 minor on a resume. Oh, okay. It meant she wasn't 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.620 bound by the stricter child labor laws concerning 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:44.039 how many hours she could work on set, schooling 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:45.520 requirements, things like that. She could work 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:48.219 longer days like the adult. So it was about maximizing 00:02:48.219 --> 00:02:50.539 her availability, her employability. Pretty much. 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:52.919 It showed this incredible level of commitment 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:55.639 to her career, this professional independence 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:58.259 before she could even legally drive. That focus 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:00.259 is, well, it's something else. It really sets 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:02.680 a different tone than the, you know, the chaotic 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:05.099 energy she'd become famous for portraying later 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:08.599 on. So from TV, she moves into film pretty quickly. 00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:11.080 Yeah. Small parts at first, like a minor role. 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:14.520 And my stepmother is an alien in 88. Right. But 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:16.780 her first big supporting role, the one people 00:03:16.780 --> 00:03:18.699 definitely remember, came just a year later. 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:21.680 Audrey Griswold. In National Lampoon's Christmas 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:26.780 Vacation. 1989. Exactly. A holiday classic. She 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:29.979 was only 15, but sources say she knew even then, 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:32.620 like, this is a big deal. She sensed it would 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:35.560 stick around. And then came a role that kind 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:37.479 of foreshadowed the darker stuff, didn't it? 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:39.379 And it involved a pretty significant personal 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:41.860 connection, too. You're thinking of the Lifetime 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:45.080 movie Too Young to Die from 1990. Yeah, with 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:47.979 Brad Pitt. Right. They co -starred and then famously 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:50.419 dated for about four years after that. In the 00:03:50.419 --> 00:03:52.740 film, she played Amanda, this really troubled 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:56.360 teenager involved in prostitution, drugs, ultimately 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:58.620 accused of murder. That's heavy material for 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:01.300 Lifetime, especially back then. It was. And it 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:03.919 was really the first time critics widely recognized 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.800 her talent for that kind of intense, edgy material. 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:10.939 The L .A. Times again praised her authentic portrayal 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:14.120 of this young, abused character. She was already 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.379 showing that ability to go to those dark places, 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:19.259 believably. But then came the explosion. The 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:21.399 role that just catapulted her onto the international 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:26.019 stage. Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, 1991. That 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:29.000 was it. The seismic shift. A huge, highly anticipated 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.279 remake. And she had to really fight for that 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:33.519 role. And Danielle Bowden, the daughter targeted 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:36.240 by De Niro's Max Cady. Terrifying. Absolutely 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.540 terrifying. And she apparently beat out something 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:41.220 like 500 other actresses for that part. 500. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.220 Wow. Yeah. And the payoff was immediate. Oscar 00:04:44.220 --> 00:04:47.279 nomination, Golden Globe nomination, best supporting 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:50.079 actress for both at such a young age. The critics 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.519 must have gone wild. They did. Vincent Canby 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:54.579 at The New York Times called her a new young 00:04:54.579 --> 00:04:57.220 actress of stunning possibilities. But it wasn't 00:04:57.220 --> 00:04:58.639 just about her being good. It was about what 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:00.839 she brought to the film's dynamic. Well, The 00:05:00.839 --> 00:05:02.899 Hollywood Reporter pointed out that she provided 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.279 the strongest real counterbalance to De Niro's 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:09.740 crazy caddy. Her performance, that mix of innocence, 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.500 confusion, fear, and then that slow, unsettling 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:15.779 kind of seduction by Caddy. That infamous scene 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:18.060 in the school theater. Exactly. It's still incredibly 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:20.060 powerful. It requires this amazing balancing 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:22.160 act, and she just nailed it. How did she talk 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.740 about working with Scorsese on something so intense, 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:28.189 so defining? She described it in really profound 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:31.449 terms, like being anointed, getting her creative 00:05:31.449 --> 00:05:34.389 wings. She said it changed me and gave me a confidence. 00:05:34.610 --> 00:05:37.870 And she was clear it wasn't about the awards, 00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:40.490 the outside accolades, as she put it. It was 00:05:40.490 --> 00:05:42.629 about that feeling of being taken seriously, 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:45.329 being nurtured by a master. That confidence clearly 00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:47.910 fueled what came next, which brings us right 00:05:47.910 --> 00:05:51.029 into section two, the quintessential 90s edgy 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:53.629 icon. Yeah. Having arrived with Cape Fear, she 00:05:53.629 --> 00:05:55.889 didn't shy away. She leaned right into those 00:05:55.889 --> 00:05:59.470 dark, volatile, complex roles. It really cemented 00:05:59.470 --> 00:06:01.810 her reputation. That Lewis volatility became 00:06:01.810 --> 00:06:04.629 her signature almost. Pretty much. And she jumped 00:06:04.629 --> 00:06:07.310 straight into more high -profile, challenging 00:06:07.310 --> 00:06:10.870 stuff. Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives in 92. 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:13.509 Right. Playing Rain, the college student who 00:06:13.509 --> 00:06:16.129 catches Woody Allen's character's eye, was described 00:06:16.129 --> 00:06:19.449 as Lolita -esque. Yeah. The Washington Post called 00:06:19.449 --> 00:06:22.220 her performance sumptuous. She had this ability 00:06:22.220 --> 00:06:24.779 to be both alluring and unsettling at the same 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:28.120 time. Then she reunited with Brad Pitt for California 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:33.060 in 1993. A really dark neo -noir thriller. She 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:36.759 played Adele, the sort of childlike, almost vacant 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:38.879 girlfriend of Pitt's serial killer character. 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:41.100 And that performance got some incredible praise, 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:44.360 didn't it? Roger Ebert especially. He did. Ebert 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:46.360 called it one of the most harrowing and convincing 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:48.839 performances I've ever seen, which is huge praise 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:50.740 from him. What made it so harrowing, do you think? 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:52.939 I think it was the sheer authenticity she brought. 00:06:53.139 --> 00:06:55.040 She didn't play Adele as just, you know, dumb 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:57.740 or evil. There was this tragic emptiness, this 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.279 vulnerability under the surface. You saw how 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:02.980 she was manipulated. It felt disturbingly real, 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:05.240 not like a caricature. But then in that same 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:08.459 year, 1993, she completely flips the script. 00:07:08.740 --> 00:07:12.149 Right. What's eating Gilbert Grape? Playing Becky. 00:07:12.310 --> 00:07:14.829 The free spirit who kind of blows into town and 00:07:14.829 --> 00:07:17.029 offers this glimmer of hope, this connection 00:07:17.029 --> 00:07:19.910 for Leonardo DiCaprio's and Johnny Depp's characters. 00:07:20.009 --> 00:07:22.689 Exactly. She's the light in that film, the potential 00:07:22.689 --> 00:07:25.509 for escape from that suffocating small town life. 00:07:25.649 --> 00:07:27.870 It showed she had this incredible range already. 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:30.589 She could go from Adele's terrifying darkness 00:07:30.589 --> 00:07:34.490 to Becky's sort of vibrant optimism and be completely 00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:37.480 believable in both. Which makes what came next 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:39.819 even more impactful, I guess. Yeah. The role 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:42.920 that truly cemented the edgy icon image, but 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:45.779 also came with, well, consequences. You mean 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:48.779 Mallory Knox. Natural Born Killers, 1994. Oliver 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:52.120 Stone. Yeah. Playing one half of that murderous 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:54.379 couple on a cross -country killing spree. An 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:56.620 incredibly intense, stylized performance. She 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:58.339 won the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film 00:07:58.339 --> 00:08:01.500 Festival for it. But the film itself. Massively 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:04.220 controversial. Hugely controversial. It got slammed 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:06.800 for its extreme violence, and perhaps more damagingly, 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:09.399 it was linked in the media to actual copycat 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:11.639 crimes. That created a huge public backlash. 00:08:11.899 --> 00:08:14.819 So the role brought acclaim, but also serious 00:08:14.819 --> 00:08:17.500 baggage. Right, definitely. Lewis herself later 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:19.439 admitted that playing someone with that level 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.259 of volatility and repulsive behavior actually 00:08:22.259 --> 00:08:25.519 hurt her career for a while. How so? Did it lead 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:28.560 to typecasting? Pretty much. The industry seemed 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.480 to pigeonhole her as just volatile or dangerous. 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.879 While critics like Rolling Stone praised her 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.580 performance, they called it sensational, saying 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:40.470 she found the Wildcat and the Bruce Child and 00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:43.350 Mallory, the cultural fallout made it harder 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:46.110 for her to get cast in more conventional, maybe 00:08:46.110 --> 00:08:48.750 sympathetic leading roles afterwards. So she 00:08:48.750 --> 00:08:51.750 leaned into more genre work. Seems like it. She 00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:53.889 funneled that energy into some interesting projects. 00:08:54.210 --> 00:08:57.389 Catherine Bigelow's Strange Days in 95. Sci -fi, 00:08:57.470 --> 00:08:59.330 right? She played a rock singer. Yeah, Faith 00:08:59.330 --> 00:09:01.129 Justin. And she actually did her own singing 00:09:01.129 --> 00:09:03.370 on a couple of PJ Harvey covers written for the 00:09:03.370 --> 00:09:05.889 film, which kind of foreshadows her next career 00:09:05.889 --> 00:09:08.269 move, doesn't it? Definitely. Strange Days. didn't 00:09:08.269 --> 00:09:10.289 do well initially, did it? No, it bombed at the 00:09:10.289 --> 00:09:12.470 box office, but it's become a real cult classic 00:09:12.470 --> 00:09:14.769 since then. Shows her early musical connection. 00:09:15.090 --> 00:09:17.389 Then she did The Basketball Diaries, also 95. 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:20.789 Playing a heroin addict. Another really raw, 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:24.529 intense role based on Jim Carroll's memoir. Exploring 00:09:24.529 --> 00:09:26.610 that theme of addiction and vulnerability again. 00:09:26.870 --> 00:09:29.470 And then, for a complete change of pace, From 00:09:29.470 --> 00:09:33.850 Dusk Till Dawn in 1996. Ah, yeah. Robert Rodriguez's 00:09:33.850 --> 00:09:36.649 vampire flick, where she plays Kate Fuller. The 00:09:36.649 --> 00:09:39.330 preacher's daughter. The clean living ingenue, 00:09:39.429 --> 00:09:42.269 as critics called her. Exactly. Critics like 00:09:42.269 --> 00:09:45.049 Janet Maslin pointed out the irony, right? Here's 00:09:45.049 --> 00:09:47.129 the actress known for playing dangerous characters, 00:09:47.370 --> 00:09:50.149 now playing the picture of innocence, trapped 00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:53.029 with vampires. It showed she could still access 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:56.029 that lighter side, even if audiences half expected 00:09:56.029 --> 00:09:59.070 her to sprout fangs. So rounding out the decade, 00:09:59.350 --> 00:10:01.929 she took on something she described as her toughest 00:10:01.929 --> 00:10:05.740 challenge yet. The Other Sister, 1999. Playing 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:07.919 Carla, a young woman with an intellectual disability 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:09.899 fighting for her independence. She said she was 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:12.399 scared by that role, called it the hardest she'd 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:15.799 ever had to play. And you can see why. It requires 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:19.299 incredible sensitivity and precision. And critics 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:22.080 felt she delivered. The New York Times praised 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:24.919 her enormous heart and sensitivity, and specifically 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.500 her precise body language. They said, you forgot 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:29.519 you were watching a performance. It really demonstrated 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:31.820 that her intensity wasn't just about rage or 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:35.019 chaos. It could be channeled into deep empathy. 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:37.879 Absolutely. And that versatility, that willingness 00:10:37.879 --> 00:10:40.620 to tackle such different challenges, really set 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:43.539 the stage for her next big move, the pivot into 00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:46.639 music. Okay, section three, the rock star pivot. 00:10:47.329 --> 00:10:50.649 Around the early 2000s. But crucially, she didn't 00:10:50.649 --> 00:10:53.090 just drop acting, did she? She juggled both. 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:55.330 That's the amazing part. She maintained both 00:10:55.330 --> 00:10:58.169 at a high level. Even before the band fully launched, 00:10:58.289 --> 00:11:00.330 she was still getting strong notices for her 00:11:00.330 --> 00:11:03.289 film work. Like what? Well, in 2000, she was 00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:05.110 in The Way of the Gun, played a pregnant woman 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:07.889 who gets kidnapped. The Austin Chronicle praised 00:11:07.889 --> 00:11:10.669 her performance for its rich veins of honesty 00:11:10.669 --> 00:11:13.190 and truth. And she got TV recognition too, right? 00:11:13.250 --> 00:11:16.409 An Emmy nomination. Yes, for the HBO film Hysterical 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:19.490 Blindness in 2002, co -starring with Uma Thurman. 00:11:19.610 --> 00:11:22.409 She got nominations for both an Emmy and an Independent 00:11:22.409 --> 00:11:24.950 Spirit Award for that. She was also in the thriller 00:11:24.950 --> 00:11:27.610 Enough with Jennifer Lopez that year. So the 00:11:27.610 --> 00:11:29.870 acting career was still very much active. But 00:11:29.870 --> 00:11:33.049 then 2003 hits and she dies headfirst into music. 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:35.529 Full Commitment forms the rock band Juliet and 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:38.009 the Licks. And notably, she brought in Patti 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:39.950 Schemel, the former drummer from Hole, Courtney 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:43.259 Love's band. That signaled serious intent. this 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:45.419 wasn't some actor's side project not at all they 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:48.879 toured relentlessly released their first ep like 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:52.120 a bolt of lightning in 2004 and their first full 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:54.779 album you're speaking my language in 2005. what 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:57.139 was the sound did that screen intensity translate 00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:59.480 to the stage oh definitely the music was this 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:03.080 raw garage rock tongue influence sound thing 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:07.279 Iggy Pop, early PJ Harvey maybe, and Lewis herself. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:09.659 As a front woman, she was explosive. Physical. 00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:11.700 Incredibly physical. All that energy, that volatility 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:13.820 people saw on screen, she just unleashed it live. 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:16.600 Kinetic, unpredictable, sometimes chaotic. It 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:18.360 was a performance. So the Mallory Knox energy 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.370 found a new outlet. Pretty much. And the critics, 00:12:21.450 --> 00:12:23.649 especially in the UK, really responded to it. 00:12:23.710 --> 00:12:26.909 They saw it as authentic and frankly exciting 00:12:26.909 --> 00:12:29.269 in a rock scene that maybe felt a bit safe at 00:12:29.269 --> 00:12:31.809 the time. The Guardian wrote she had this iconic 00:12:31.809 --> 00:12:35.029 presence that boringly boy saturated rock needs. 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:38.559 Wow. High praise. They released a second album, 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.820 too, right? Yep, Four on the Floor in 2007, which 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:44.679 meant more grueling tour schedules. It's a demanding 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:47.440 lifestyle, fronting a serious rock band. And 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.559 her musical footprint spread beyond the band, 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:51.720 too. Yeah, she popped up in interesting places. 00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:54.740 She did guest vocals on a track for the Prodigies 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:57.019 album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned in 00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:59.700 2004. Oh, cool. Appeared in music videos for 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:02.139 Melissa Etheridge way back and for the band Hymn. 00:13:02.299 --> 00:13:05.100 And maybe most memorably for some, she voiced 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:07.440 the DJ Juliet on the fictional radio station 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:11.139 radio broker in Grand Theft Auto IV. I remember 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:12.879 that. That's brilliant. Right. It showed her 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:14.960 cultural reach was expanding into different areas. 00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:17.679 But somehow, amidst all the touring and recording, 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:20.480 she's still appearing in movies and not just 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:23.720 intense dramas anymore. Exactly. She showed the 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:26.320 surprisingly adept comedic side during this period. 00:13:26.990 --> 00:13:29.009 Which maybe wasn't what people expected after 00:13:29.009 --> 00:13:32.549 the 90s. Like Old School in 2003. Totally. And 00:13:32.549 --> 00:13:35.789 Starsky and Hutch in 2004. Big studio comedies. 00:13:35.789 --> 00:13:38.690 She played these kind of fun, slightly unhinged 00:13:38.690 --> 00:13:41.090 supporting characters really well. And they liked 00:13:41.090 --> 00:13:42.750 her enough in Old School to bring her back for 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:45.210 a cameo years later, right? Yeah. She reprised 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:48.230 her role as Heidi in Due Date in 2010. It showed 00:13:48.230 --> 00:13:50.870 that comedic timing was recognized. Then there 00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:54.370 was Whip It in 2009. Drew Barrymore's directing 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:57.110 debut. Another great role for her, playing Iron 00:13:57.110 --> 00:14:00.110 Maven, the aggressive rival roller derby captain. 00:14:00.389 --> 00:14:02.669 The Guardian nailed it, describing her performance 00:14:02.669 --> 00:14:06.490 as all grimy attitude and slinky rock chick insouciance. 00:14:06.629 --> 00:14:09.389 It perfectly blended her rock persona with a 00:14:09.389 --> 00:14:12.049 screen role. So she's juggling music, comedy, 00:14:12.190 --> 00:14:15.330 drama. In 2009, she goes solo musically, too. 00:14:15.470 --> 00:14:18.009 Yeah, released her first solo album, Terra Incognita. 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:20.830 Still touring, still creating music under her 00:14:20.830 --> 00:14:23.049 own name after the licks went on hiatus. And 00:14:23.049 --> 00:14:25.129 then closes out this incredible... busy decade 00:14:25.129 --> 00:14:28.240 with another acclaimed acting role. Conviction, 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:31.340 the 2010 film with Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell. 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.279 She played Rosanna Perry, a key witness in the 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.779 murder case. And she stole the show, apparently. 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:38.860 That's what the critics said. The Wall Street 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:41.639 Journal literally called her a scene stealer. 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:44.100 And she won the Boston Society of Film Critics 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.539 Award for Best Supporting Actress for it. So 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:50.460 that whole decade, basically 2000 to 2010, proved 00:14:50.460 --> 00:14:52.519 she could sustain these two incredibly demanding 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:55.539 careers simultaneously, rock star and acclaimed 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:57.200 actress. It's pretty extraordinary. When you 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:59.120 lay it out like that, the discipline required 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.940 is immense. Which perfectly sets up her current 00:15:01.940 --> 00:15:05.860 chapter, section four, the television and prestige 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:09.500 film resurgence from 2011 onwards. Right. This 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.460 is where she starts really leveraging all that 00:15:11.460 --> 00:15:14.019 accumulated experience, the intensity, the discipline, 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.360 the public persona into these incredibly rich, 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.080 complex roles, often dealing with the aftermath 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:21.779 of trauma or difficult lives. We see that focus 00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:24.320 early in this period with some key film roles. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:28.100 Hick in 2011. Playing an alcoholic mother in 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:31.340 1980s Nebraska. A return to that darker, emotionally 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:33.779 challenging territory, but perhaps with a new 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:36.179 layer of maturity or weariness. And then the 00:15:36.179 --> 00:15:40.879 big ensemble piece, August. Osage County in 2013. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:43.659 Based on that massive Pulitzer Prize winning 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:47.370 play. A huge cast, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts. 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:50.090 Lewis played Karen, one of the dysfunctional 00:15:50.090 --> 00:15:52.409 sisters returning home. The film got kind of 00:15:52.409 --> 00:15:54.309 mixed reviews, didn't it? Some found it maybe 00:15:54.309 --> 00:15:57.470 too theatrical or over the top. It did, but Lewis 00:15:57.470 --> 00:16:00.649 consistently got singled out for praise. Critics 00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:03.269 felt she grounded her part of the story. Mick 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:06.509 LaSalle at SFGate wrote that he felt her performance 00:16:06.509 --> 00:16:09.049 was maybe the only one that had a complete grasp 00:16:09.049 --> 00:16:11.570 of the material's proper tone. That's interesting. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.159 She could handle the high drama but make it feel 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.059 real. Exactly. She has that ability. Then came 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:20.179 a role in 2014 that seemed almost tailor -made 00:16:20.179 --> 00:16:22.759 for her public image, playing with her past. 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.000 Ah, you mean Kelly and Cal. The riot girl turns 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.129 suburban mom film. Yeah. playing a former punk 00:16:29.129 --> 00:16:31.149 rocker who's now struggling with the monotony 00:16:31.149 --> 00:16:33.269 of being a housewife and new mother. It's such 00:16:33.269 --> 00:16:35.350 a fascinating concept for her specifically. And 00:16:35.350 --> 00:16:37.610 the reviews really picked up on how well she 00:16:37.610 --> 00:16:39.509 navigated that. What did they say? The New York 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:42.570 Times noted how she conveys the excruciating 00:16:42.570 --> 00:16:45.769 discomfort of being this former rebel stuck in 00:16:45.769 --> 00:16:48.590 a staid middle class existence. They said her 00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:51.049 performance crackled with authenticity because. 00:16:51.529 --> 00:16:53.230 You know, she had lived outside those conventional 00:16:53.230 --> 00:16:56.809 boundaries. The struggle felt earned. That authenticity 00:16:56.809 --> 00:16:59.590 seems to be the key word as she transitions more 00:16:59.590 --> 00:17:02.350 heavily into television around this time, starting 00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:05.049 with Secrets and Lies. Yeah, she starred in that 00:17:05.049 --> 00:17:08.509 ABC crime drama for two seasons, 2015 to 2016, 00:17:08.750 --> 00:17:11.480 played Detective Andrea Cornell. How was that 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:13.559 received? It felt like a more conventional role 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.240 for her, maybe? It was. And honestly, the reception 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.160 was pretty mixed, especially for her character. 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:21.000 Some critics found Detective Cornell a bit one 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:24.140 note or cliched. Neil Genslinger, again at the 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:26.440 Times, called the character a cliche stretched 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:29.140 beyond the point of believability. So it maybe 00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:31.460 showed that she needs strong material to really 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:34.640 shine. She can't just coast on her persona. I 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.230 think that's fair. Her unique energy works best 00:17:37.230 --> 00:17:39.009 when the writing gives her something complex 00:17:39.009 --> 00:17:42.269 to dig into, not just a standard procedural trope. 00:17:42.269 --> 00:17:45.190 But she stayed busy in TV. Other roles around 00:17:45.190 --> 00:17:47.650 that time. Definitely. She had a recurring part 00:17:47.650 --> 00:17:50.049 in the sci -fi series Wayward Pines in 2015, 00:17:50.269 --> 00:17:53.789 and then a guest role in The Act on Hulu in 2019. 00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:56.950 Oh, The Act. The D .D. Blanchard story. That 00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:00.410 was incredibly well received. It was. Very disturbing. 00:18:00.490 --> 00:18:02.809 Very strong performances all around. Her presence 00:18:02.809 --> 00:18:05.829 added to that quality ensemble. But the real 00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:08.390 game changer, the role that feels like a culmination 00:18:08.390 --> 00:18:10.869 of everything, has to be Yellow Jackets. Absolutely. 00:18:10.990 --> 00:18:14.829 Starting in 2021, playing the adult, Natalie 00:18:14.829 --> 00:18:17.069 Scatorcio, one of the survivors of that plane 00:18:17.069 --> 00:18:19.789 crash, carrying decades of trauma, addiction, 00:18:19.990 --> 00:18:23.269 secrets. The show was just an explosion. Huge 00:18:23.269 --> 00:18:26.990 critical claim, massive buzz, and Lewis was right 00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:29.009 at the center of it. Her performance was universally 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:32.130 praised. The Guardian called her sublime, highlighting 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:34.490 how she captured the nuances of tentative empathy. 00:18:34.670 --> 00:18:37.329 glimmers of optimism within a deep chasm of grief. 00:18:37.750 --> 00:18:40.029 It felt like a role that perfectly synthesized 00:18:40.029 --> 00:18:42.250 her history of playing volatile, damaged characters, 00:18:42.349 --> 00:18:44.789 but demanded this incredible underlying vulnerability. 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:46.549 And it brought her back into the major awards 00:18:46.549 --> 00:18:50.549 conversation in a big way. Yes. Her first primetime 00:18:50.549 --> 00:18:53.549 Emmy nomination came for Yellow Jackets, and 00:18:53.549 --> 00:18:56.730 then, almost immediately after, she got her second 00:18:56.730 --> 00:18:59.950 Emmy nomination. For Welcome to Chippendales 00:18:59.950 --> 00:19:03.480 in 2022. Right. playing Denise Coughlin, the 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.380 very direct, very capable costume designer who 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:09.140 works with the Chippendales founder. Another 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:12.740 fantastic scene -stealing performance. Richard 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:16.309 Roper called her outstanding in that. It's fascinating, 00:19:16.410 --> 00:19:19.410 this late career peak in terms of awards recognition, 00:19:19.809 --> 00:19:22.049 especially considering how she's talked about 00:19:22.049 --> 00:19:24.230 typecasting over the years. It is. She admitted 00:19:24.230 --> 00:19:25.990 she worried about it, especially after Natural 00:19:25.990 --> 00:19:28.529 Born Killers. And she's been quite specific about 00:19:28.529 --> 00:19:30.329 Natalie in Yellowjacket, saying the character 00:19:30.329 --> 00:19:32.950 is nothing like myself, even if people see echoes 00:19:32.950 --> 00:19:35.930 of past roles, the toughness, the wrong side 00:19:35.930 --> 00:19:38.529 of the tracks vibe. What's her take on why it 00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:40.390 took so long for this kind of recognition? Well, 00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:41.930 she said something really telling, like it took 00:19:41.930 --> 00:19:43.789 like 30 years for people to go, wow, she does 00:19:43.789 --> 00:19:46.049 unpredictable stuff and it's high quality. It's 00:19:46.049 --> 00:19:48.230 like the industry finally caught up with the 00:19:48.230 --> 00:19:50.730 complexity and the consistency she'd been delivering 00:19:50.730 --> 00:19:53.630 all along. And just to confirm, the music didn't 00:19:53.630 --> 00:19:55.730 completely disappear during this TV resurgence. 00:19:56.029 --> 00:19:59.009 No, she keeps that alive, too. Released a solo 00:19:59.009 --> 00:20:03.230 EP called Future Deep in 2016. Her first new 00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.400 music in about seven years at that point. The 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:09.059 dual identity is clearly still important to her. 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:11.319 It all feels interconnected, doesn't it? The 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:13.799 life, the acting, the music. Which brings us 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:16.460 to the personal context. Section 5. Yeah, understanding 00:20:16.460 --> 00:20:18.359 some of the personal background really helps 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:20.599 connect the dots, I think. Especially when you 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:22.759 consider the intensity she brings to her work. 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:24.859 We have to acknowledge the challenges she faced 00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:27.380 early on, which perhaps informs some of those 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:30.740 darker roles. The arrest at 16. Right. In 1989, 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.240 arrested for underage drinking, trying to get 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.230 into a bar. A minor incident, maybe, but indicative 00:20:36.230 --> 00:20:38.809 of that rebellious streak. And she's spoken openly 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:41.309 about more serious struggles later. Yes, about 00:20:41.309 --> 00:20:43.869 a years -long addiction to cocaine and prescription 00:20:43.869 --> 00:20:46.769 drugs in her early adult years, largely during 00:20:46.769 --> 00:20:50.029 that intense 90s period. You can certainly see 00:20:50.029 --> 00:20:52.230 how processing that experience could fuel the 00:20:52.230 --> 00:20:54.650 raw, believable pain in roles like The Basketball 00:20:54.650 --> 00:20:57.089 Diaries or even The Abandoned of Mallory Knox. 00:20:57.529 --> 00:20:59.650 How about her personal relationships during that 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:02.390 pivot phase? She was married for a time. Mm -hmm. 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.500 married the pro skateboarder Steve Barra in September 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:10.240 1999. That timing is interesting, right as her 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:13.180 film career was maybe less front and center and 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:15.799 she was gearing up for the music. And they divorced 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.579 just as the band was taking off. Exactly. Divorced 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:22.619 in April 2003, right around the time Juliet and 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:24.779 the Licks was really forming and starting to 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.579 tour. Did she say much about the split? She described 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:30.980 it as amicable, but her reasoning ties back beautifully 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:33.339 to that theme of professional focus. we saw with 00:21:33.339 --> 00:21:35.259 the Emancipation. She basically said they were 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:38.460 both workaholics, and she realized, I only actually 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:40.900 have enough steam to focus on my own thing. Wow. 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:43.980 That's a very clear statement of artistic priority. 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.420 Isn't it? It underlines that sense of needing 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:49.019 independence to pursue her creative path, whether 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:52.000 it was acting or music. Now, we also need to 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.380 address her connection to Scientology, sticking 00:21:54.380 --> 00:21:56.440 strictly to impartial reporting of what's in 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:59.160 the sources. Right. So the record shows she was 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:01.700 born into it. Her father, Jeffrey Liris, was 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:04.440 a Scientologist. She began practicing it herself 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:08.460 in the 1990s. And she publicly credited it. with 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:10.660 helping her overcome her addiction issues. Yes, 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:13.160 specifically Scientology's Narconin program. 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:15.880 She framed it as a key part of her rehabilitation 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:18.900 during that difficult period. How does she talk 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:20.799 about her affiliation publicly over the years? 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:24.359 Well, the public statements evolved. In 2010, 00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:27.099 she confirmed she was a Scientologist, but also 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:29.960 identified as a Christian, explaining her understanding 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:32.990 that you could practice both. She seemed to emphasize 00:22:32.990 --> 00:22:36.509 a personal, spiritual interpretation. And she 00:22:36.509 --> 00:22:38.410 defended her right to choose her own beliefs. 00:22:38.950 --> 00:22:42.150 In 2015, she spoke about protecting her freedom 00:22:42.150 --> 00:22:44.230 of religion, saying she kind of just rolls with 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:46.710 people's misconceptions. She presented it as 00:22:46.710 --> 00:22:48.609 a matter of personal freedom. But there was a 00:22:48.609 --> 00:22:52.119 shift more recently. Yes. Around 2021, coinciding 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:54.500 with her major TV success with Yellow Jackets, 00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:56.779 she began to publicly distance herself from the 00:22:56.779 --> 00:22:59.559 label. In interviews with both The New York Times 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:01.980 and The Washington Post, she stated that she 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:04.400 considers herself a spiritualist and does not 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:07.680 identify as a Scientologist anymore. So a clear 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:10.079 evolution in her public identification later 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:12.779 in her career. Exactly. It shows a separation, 00:23:13.059 --> 00:23:15.420 aligning with this current phase focused heavily 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:18.000 on her acclaimed acting work. And just briefly, 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:20.619 her philanthropy often ties back to her passions, 00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.079 too. Yeah, a nice example is her support for 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:25.539 Little Kids Rock, which funds music education 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:28.619 in schools. She donated a custom -painted Fender 00:23:28.619 --> 00:23:31.079 guitar to help them raise money. It connects 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:34.059 her music side with giving back. So putting it 00:23:34.059 --> 00:23:36.099 all together, the personal challenges, the intense 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:39.119 focus, the religious evolution, the dual careers, 00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:42.200 it paints a picture of someone whose art is deeply 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.079 intertwined with a complex, unconventional life. 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:47.319 Absolutely. It wasn't about crafting a perfect 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:49.519 Hollywood image. It was about channeling lived 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:52.079 experience, the good, the bad, the intense into 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.960 her work with remarkable discipline. OK, let's 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:57.319 wrap up this deep dive. We've traced this incredible, 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:01.079 multifaceted career. Juliette Lewis. Oscar nominee, 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:04.380 Golden Globe nominee, two time primetime Emmy 00:24:04.380 --> 00:24:07.960 nominee and legit rock star. It's quite the resume 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:10.480 from that breakout teen role in Cape Fear to 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:13.079 the critically adored complex adult survivor 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:15.819 in Yellow Jackets. She's navigated multiple industries, 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:18.619 multiple eras. And the common thread seems to 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:22.079 be this fearless embrace of complexity, of darkness, 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:25.819 of volatility. She refused to be easily categorized 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:28.480 either on screen or on stage. Her career is really 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.849 a testament to the power. of staying true to 00:24:30.849 --> 00:24:33.369 that unique energy, even when the industry tries 00:24:33.369 --> 00:24:36.569 to label you or box you in. Which leads us perfectly 00:24:36.569 --> 00:24:39.170 into our final provocative thought for you, our 00:24:39.170 --> 00:24:41.549 listeners. We talked about Lewis's struggle with 00:24:41.549 --> 00:24:44.250 typecasting, especially after a role as definitive 00:24:44.250 --> 00:24:46.589 and controversial as Mallory Knox in Natural 00:24:46.589 --> 00:24:48.930 Born Killers. She worried about being stuck in 00:24:48.930 --> 00:24:52.289 that volatile box. Right. But here she is, decades 00:24:52.289 --> 00:24:55.240 later. receiving her highest critical acclaim 00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:57.640 and those Emmy nominations for playing characters 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:00.599 like Natalie in Yellow Jackets or Denise in Chippendales, 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:03.660 characters who are undeniably tough, often damaged, 00:25:03.859 --> 00:25:06.400 maybe seen as being from the wrong side of the 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:08.259 tracks. So the question this raises is really 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:10.680 interesting. Considering she found this profound 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:13.779 success by, in a way, perfecting and deepening 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:15.900 that same unique creative energy that people 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:18.619 tried to label or maybe limit years ago. Does 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.259 that suggest that true professional maturity 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:24.359 for any of us? might actually involve finally 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.079 embracing, refining, and fully owning those specific, 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:31.259 maybe unconventional traits that make up our 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:34.400 unique signature. Think about it. What parts 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:36.920 of your own past experience or reputation, things 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:39.700 you perhaps once saw as limitations or things 00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:42.099 to overcome, might actually hold the key to your 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:45.039 most authentic and successful future path? Something 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:47.579 powerful to reflect on. Definitely. Thanks for 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:49.039 joining us for this deep dive. We'll get you 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:49.440 on the next one.